Chinese festival= a carnival

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Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. Not because of bugs or heat; I think it was mainly due to excitement and a racing mind. I began thinking about the many incredible experiences this volunteering opportunity has brought me. From a purely economical standpoint I receive free room and board including my own room containing a wardrobe, large bed, fan, and desk. The teachers never let me pay for anything when I am with them. Lunch is not only paid for everyday but set up near my desk with at least two teachers for company. Presents come regularly; I try not to be too enthusiastic about something as it may appear in a few days as a gift on my desk. In less than two weeks I have received: a bike to use for the month, a very nice work bag, a purple polo representing the school's district, a plate of deep friend bananas, regular bananas, oranges, three sticky rice baskets made by students, a keychain from the dinosaur museum, sticky rice desserts, various candies, and a daily delivery of morning coffee with snack and an iced tea drink in the afternoon.

My foreigner status made us a popular target.

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I had said many times in the past (and most recently in my graduate school admission essays) that with any volunteer experience I have ever had, I ended up feeling like I received more than I gave. So far my time here is the best example of that yet. I have been completely welcomed into the community. Riding back into town or on the way home, many people wave hello and I actually recognize most of them! A chair is provided along with some kind of snack whenever a group gathers to chat, I watch a football match, or I just happen to sit somewhere to read quietly for a few minutes. Although I realize that I am teaching here for free, I cannot imagine another way that I would be able to receive such exposure to the Thai people, culture, and most especially food. A day hasn't gone by without getting to sample at least one new dish. The students are extremely respectful and the teachers, despite very limited English skills, explain everything that is happening as best at they can.

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Fridays tend to be fun and today was no exception. What a wonderful time I had with my classes! I created a lesson about Valentine's Day and after a quick explanation of the day itself, we dove into the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns and The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love". Yes, the students were exposed to me singing, not very pretty! I created some simple questions and categories for a game of Jeopardy and the competition became quite fierce in one of the classes. When I reflect, it is amazing that they can learn and I can teach despite the huge language barrier that's between us. I realize that one of the better ways to learn language is through immersion, but it's certainly something to actually be a part of that.

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Last night one of the teachers, Ajan Dang, took me to the closest town which was hosting a Chinese festival (more commonly known to us westerners as a carnival). I haven't used bumper cars in years and I found it quite enjoyable. I was a terrible driver, but after Dang took over it was a blast. My foreigner status made us a popular target. Dang's brother and sister were also there and we had a great time sampling food. We had dinner at a thai bbq restaurant feasting on a hotpot dinner where you cook your own meat and vegetables. Delicious! Not that I've eaten anything here I don't like.

On the drive home, I couldn't help but dreamily stare out of the window. The clear skies made the moon and sky over the small mountain range a beautiful sight. I was able to catch up with Suwatt when I arrived home and plan more of my border run weekend to Vientiane, Laos. My tourist visa expires on the 28th, so on Sunday the 25th Cim, the other volunteer that I met, will join me on a four hour bus ride to Laos. We'll spend one night there checking out the city before heading back to our schools on Monday the 26th. Saturday the 24th is a huge festival to celebrate the full moon. Khon Kaen city has a parade, float competition, dancing, live music, fund raising university students, etc. The plan right now is to head to Khon Kaen Saturday morning for the festival and spend the night there to be ready to go to Laos in the morning.

My last week here will be quite busy. My school is a host for a sports tournament for many neighboring schools. Also, the students will be taking an exam about Buddhism with about thirty monks here on the 29th. Friday the 30th the teachers have decided to host an English camp which also happens to be the day Dan arrives. I'm guessing it will be a day and night full of games and stories pushing the students as much as possible to practice their English while keeping up the sanook (fun).

I am looking forward to what I hope it is a relatively calm weekend. I wouldn't mind having a few hours to read in the sun and shade near one of the school's many fountains or waterfalls. Perhaps I can catch a boxing match on Sunday with Suwatt and his students. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a big enough capacity to be properly thankful for how incredibly fortunate I am to have been exposed and welcomed into such a rich community and culture.